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Parashat Ha'azinu
3 Tishrei 5785
October 4-5, 2024
Dear Congregants,
It was good to be together to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. As mentioned yesterday, Tashlich was canceled due to extreme heat. Instead, you are invited to do a personal Tashlich before Yom Kippur. For those interested who did not get a handout yesterday, a link to a 'Do it yourself Tashlich' is here.
This Shabbat is called Shabbat Shuva–the Sabbath of Return based on the Haftarah (prophetic) reading this week from Hosea 14:2-10 which focuses on shuva/return.
“Return, O Israel, to the ETERNAL your God,
For you have fallen because of your sin.” [Hosea 14:2]
This is the season of teshuva and it is up to each of us to engage in the process. We look inward, we reach out to God, and we ask forgiveness from others.
As we sang at services yesterday, we are all striving to return.
We Return by Elana Arian and Noah Aronson
- This Monday night is a Commemoration on October 7 at 7pm.
- Next Friday night (October 11) and Saturday (October 12) is Yom Kippur.
- And–Sunday morning October 13, join us to build the Sukkah.
Shabbat Shalom at Home,
Rabbi Dantowitz
Parashat Nitavim/Vayeilech
25 Elul 5784
September 27-28, 2024
Dear Congregants,
In a few days we will assemble as a community to welcome a new year. This time of anticipation is weighed down with the pain and burdens of this past year. While many of us found moments of joy this past year, we also faced a most challenging year as a Jewish people since Hamas’ attack on 10/7, the ongoing War and increased antisemitism.
Tomorrow evening is Selichot (direct translation ‘forgiveness’) to help us prepare for the holidays. I encourage you to join us for a meaningful evening of learning, reflection, and connection. As we focus on Teshuva–return and repair, we will be inspired by the film, ‘The Last Repair Shop.’ Our evening begins at 7pm with a light reception followed by the film, discussion, Havdalah and Selichot. We will change the Torah mantles to white for the Holy Days.
It is traditional to recite Psalm 27 during this month of Elul. I invite you to listen to Chava Mirel whose melody we will sing during the Holy Days. Her piece is focused on verse 4:
One thing I ask of Adonai,
only that do I seek:
to live in the house of Adonai
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of Adonai,to frequent God’s temple. [Psalm 27:4]
With prayers for peace this Shabbat.
With prayers to bring home the hostages.
With prayers to end the War.
With prayers to find God on our paths.
Shabbat Shalom at Home and please join me for Selichot tomorrow night at 7pm.
Rabbi Dantowitz
Parashat Ki Tavo
18 Elul 5784
September 20-21, 2024
Dear Congregants,
This week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo–”when you enter”- is full of curses and blessings. Curses if we don’t follow God and blessings if we do. Each day of our lives we may experience blessings or curses. Sometimes at the same time. It is Jewish tradition to recite 100 blessings a day.
בָּר֥וּךְ אַתָּ֖ה בְּבֹאֶ֑ךָ וּבָר֥וּךְ אַתָּ֖ה בְּצֵאתֶֽךָ׃
Baruch atah b’vo-echa u-varuch atah b’tzeytecha
Blessed shall you be in your comings and blessed shall you be in your goings.
[Deut. 28:6]
Wherever we go, may blessings abound. We can cultivate an awareness of God by reciting blessings, adding a moment of sacred intention. In the morning, Modah Ani –I am thankful (to You, God) is the first blessing to recite. The Sh’ma is traditional to recite morning and evening. When we eat, we can say a prayer of thanks for our food (HaMotzi if there is bread). When we see a friend, we reflect on the blessing of friendship.
There are challenges in our lives always from personal situations to global ones and everything in between. How wonderful that Judaism urges us to seek blessings in our lives.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Dantowitz
Parashat Ki Teitzei
11 Elul 5784
September 13-14, 2024
Dear Congregants,
Thirty six times the Torah tells us to “remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt.” An emphasis on memory is a key part of Judaism. In this week’s Parashat Ki Teitzei, we are reminded things we can do to help the stranger, fatherless, and widow:
“When you reap the harvest in your field and overlook a sheaf in the field, do not turn back to get it; it shall go to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow—in order that your God Adonai may bless you in all your undertakings.
When you beat down the fruit of your olive trees, do not go over them again; that shall go to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.
When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not pick it over again; that shall go to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.
וְזָ֣כַרְתָּ֔ כִּי־עֶ֥בֶד הָיִ֖יתָ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם עַל־כֵּ֞ן אָנֹכִ֤י מְצַוְּךָ֙ לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת אֶת־הַדָּבָ֖ר הַזֶּֽה
V’zacharta ki eved hayita b’eretz mitzrayim al kein anochi m’tzavhcah la-asot et hadavar hazeh
Always remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore do I enjoin you to observe this commandment. [Deut. 24:19-22]
As Jews, we are commanded to care for vulnerable people in our society. As Jews, our lived experience as strangers–and slaves in a foreign land—is part of our collective memory as a Jewish People.
We know what it is like to suffer. We have the stories of our ancestors or maybe our immigrants too. In addition to the pain of mourning a parent or spouse, the Torah recognizes that there may be financial burdens as well. Therefore, we should leave the corners of our field unplowed and gleanings dropped, left for others to claim.
Helping those in need is part of being Jewish.
I hope to see you at services tonight at 7 pm.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Dantowitz
Parashat Ha'azinu
3 Tishrei 5785
October 4-5, 2024
Parashat Shoftim
4 Elul 5784
September 6-7, 2024
This has been an incredibly painful week since the discovery last weekend of 6 Israeli hostages executed by Hamas. Ori Danino, z”l, Carmel Gat, z”l, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, z”l, Alex Lubnov, z”l, Almog Sarusi, z”l, and Eden Yerushalmi, z”l. Zichronam livracha. May their memories be for a blessing. May their memories lead to a ceasefire and the survival of other living hostages. The suffering in the region continues to destroy so many lives.
Here in the US, this week's pain also included a school shooting in Georgia. What should have been a regular day at school turned into tragedy. Two students and two teachers were murdered: Christian Angulo, 14, Mason Schermerhorn, 14, Cristina Irimie, 53, and Richard Aspinwall, 39. May their memories be for a blessing and lead to gun violence prevention.
As we know, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, z”l, was an Israeli American born in Berkeley, part of our Bay Area community. His parents met with world leaders and did everything possible to save their son as did the other parents and family members. His mother Rachel said “I also pray that your death will be a turning point in this horrible situation in which we are all entangled.”
Carmel Gat, z”l, and Sharon Orshalimy, cousin of Marcia and Nancy Fishman, were friends. Sharon’s mom Beth shared that Carmel and Sharon met each other helping the Palestinians pick olives so the settlers wouldn’t attack them.
Today's violence and deaths of a 26 yr old American woman and 13 yr old Palestinian girl (two separate incidents on the West Bank) are also terrible.
How do we process the pain of these tragedies and ongoing War? I am wrestling with this question but know that it is helpful when we share our thoughts and feelings even when we disagree. And engaging in gemilut chasadim--acts of lovingkindness can bring some healing.
When I study this week’s parasha, one verse always jumps out at me:
צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף לְמַ֤עַן תִּֽחְיֶה֙ וְיָרַשְׁתָּ֣ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ
Tzedek, tzedek tirdof l’ma’an t’chyeh v’yarashta et Ha-aretz asher Adonai Eloheycha noten lach.
Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that your God Adonai is giving you. [Deut. 16:20]
The Hebrew word for justice is tzedek. God commands us to pursue what is right and just. The doubling of the word justice means that we need to work hard to pursue the path of justice.
There is not one answer in the Jewish community of how to proceed. As a mother, I know I would do anything to keep my sons alive and would want the government to uphold one of the highest mitzvot—pidyon shvuyim–redeeming the captive. As we've seen for 11 months, the best method to do so is a ceasefire. Israelis are on the streets protesting for one.
Aviya Kushner wrote in an article in The Forward about justice being a matter of life or death as the verse focuses as well on thriving. She notes one Biblical translator, Everett Fox, in the Schocken Bible, chooses to translate tzedek as “equity.”
"Equity, equity you are to pursue, In order that you may live and possess the land that YHWH your God is giving you!"
The commentator Ibn Ezra suggests the word tzedek is repeated to emphasize that we will need to pursue justice all of the days of our lives and it will strengthen us. This is a difficult explanation to accept. We who pursue justice may feel exhausted and weak in our pursuits. Yet, to pursue justice is to focus on equity, truth, and peace.
May this be a Shabbat of Shalom,
Rabbi Dantowitz
Join us for Shabbat services next Friday night, September 13th
Parashat Chukat
7 Tammuz 5784
July 12-13, 2024
Dear Congregants,
In this week’s parshat Chukat, Moses is caught between a rock and a hard place—-the complaints of the Israelites and the suffering of his heart as he mourns the death of his sister Miriam (and at the end of the portion, his brother Aaron).
There are two words in this portion that reminded me of an earlier portion. “Az yashir-Then he sang:" In Exodus, after the Israelites cross the Sea on dry land, we recall they sang a song to God which begins:
אָ֣ז יָשִֽׁיר־מֹשֶׁה֩ וּבְנֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֤ה הַזֹּאת֙
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to God. (Exodus 15:1)
In this week’s portion, we read:
אָ֚ז יָשִׁ֣יר יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את עֲלִ֥י בְאֵ֖ר עֱנוּ־לָֽהּ
Then Israel sang this song:
Spring up, O well—sing to it—(Exodus 21:17)
At the beginning of the Israelites journey and 40 years later, they sang a song. The text of the song is missing here in Numbers so it’s unclear what they sang. In this portion alone, the song follows immense pain and challenge – including the deaths of Miriam and Aaron, a lack of water and food, Moses being informed he shall not enter the Promised Land, Israelites taken captive and battles, and painful serpent bites.
And then God tells Moses to assemble the people in order to give them water. Then Israel sings this song.
Water is a symbol of life. The waters of the Sea of Reeds overwhelmed the Israelites before they parted.
We sing songs of triumph. We sing songs to soothe ourselves when we are in fear. We sing songs of comfort. We sing songs of memory.
At the end of this portion, the Israelites have survived a few more challenges, a few military victories, and again found water. Etz Hayyim commentary says that they are now a singing community. Yet actually, they have been singing the whole time – certainly since they crossed the Sea of Reeds.
Even when we are stuck in a difficult spot, we find songs to sing. They bring us comfort. They may match our moods or lift us to new heights.
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